Groundhog Day: Bill Murray’s Everyman Angst

Groundhog Day is a weird tradition to say the least. Cloudy skies on February 2 indicate a mild spring to come. Huh? The stupidity of it boggles. There is little wonder as to why Harold Remis chose it as the focal point for his film. groundhog1Groundhog Day is that rare breed of comic film that digs into understanding the human experience: What would it be like to live the exact same day over and over again? Is this what it is to be immortal? Is this the true test of the human spirit? Is this the genesis of angst? Bill Murray delivers the performance of his life, an asinine everyman who is remarkably (and believably) humble in the end. groundhog_day1As to the actual event itself of dragging out Punxsutawney Phil, I hope that the men in top hats might consider leaving him alone. philShadow or not, we don’t need a groundhog to tell us what we already know; we’ll be seeing a lot less of winter in the years to come.